1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to thermal management devices for electronic devices and more specifically it relates to an insulated spray cooling system for extreme environments for providing an isolated environment for electronic devices regardless of external environmental conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Thermal management systems for electronic systems have been in use for years. In order to maintain maximum performance from electronic components, the components need to be maintained within a relatively narrow temperature band. Thermal management systems are utilized to maintain this desired narrow temperature band.
In environments where extreme temperatures are present (e.g. −65° C., +70° C., etc.), it is critical to provide a thermal management system that provides a desired internal operating environment to maintain peak efficiency, power and prevent system failure. In addition, some external environments include hostile elements such as but not limited to dust, sand, debris, salt water, salt fog, condensed water vapor, contaminants and the like, which require the complete isolation of electronic components from the harsh external environment. Extreme external environments are encountered within various applications such as aircraft, ships, ground based applications and the like. It is absolutely crucial that electronic components be maintained in a safe internally controlled environment when in extreme external environments.
Conventional thermal management systems commonly utilized today are comprised of air-cooled enclosures (forced flow or free flow), conduction cooling and liquid immersion cooling. Spray cooling technologies are being adopted today as the most efficient option for thermally managing electronic systems in an enclosed internal environment. Spray cooling utilizes an atomized dielectric spray that is applied directly to the electronic device thereby forming a thin film on the electronic device. Spray cooling may be performed locally (i.e. where the chip is sprayed directly) or globally (i.e. where the chip and surrounding electronics/boards are also sprayed). U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,804 entitled High Heat Flux Evaporative Spray Cooling to Tilton et al. describes the earlier versions of spray cooling technology. U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,201 entitled Fluid Control Apparatus and Method for Spray Cooling to Tilton et al. also describes the usage of spray cooling technology to cool a printed circuit board.